Getting Punchy with pizza

Many pizza places I’ve tried end up being somewhat uninspiring, but a good shop can be a gem. Because of the extremely high heat a commercial pizza oven can generate, there is the potential to have a meal that’s impossible to perfectly replicate at home.

Most of the high quality places I’ve been to recently have been away from home, perhaps because Boston is not known for its pizza or perhaps because I just tend to eat out more when the home kitchen isn’t in reach. I have particularly liked Pepe’s (coming to Boston in the future) and Modern in New Haven, which serve up a distinctive local variety. Traveling in Minneapolis. however, there’s a few good Neapolitan spots. Neapolitan pizza, unlike the New York or even New Haven varieties, has a simple dough of flour, water, salt, and yeast (no sugar or oil) and is best eaten fresh with simple toppings. The best I’ve found around here is Punch, with several locations. In addition to a well made dough with just the right chewiness, the toppings are extremely high quality. Spend the extra to get the buffalo mozzarella and Mt. Vesuvio tomatoes.